a place for Grace Church to share ideas, opportunities, and stories of putting our faith into action.

On Board, On Mission (Part 3 of 3)

Last week, we started a 3 part series of blogs highlighting a few friendly faces from Grace Church who are living “on mission” by serving on boards of various organizations engaged in community outreach. Have you considered how God might want to use your professional skills and experiences outside of your local church? You don’t have to go abroad to be “on mission” for Jesus. Take a moment to assess how you are engaging in God’s plan for the world with your spiritual gifts, skills, passions, etc. What opportunities does God have in mind for you?!

(Sidenote: Be sure to check out the previous two posts in this series HERE and HERE).

Whitney Buckwalter has been attending Grace Church for more than 20 years, including his teen years when he was active in the youth group, attended Momentum youth conference, and went on Operation Barnabas for a summer (1999). “Whit” graduated from Manheim Township High School and from Penn State University. For the past 10 years he has worked for Fulton Bank, where he is currently a Vice President in the Commercial Banking division.

For the last 18 months, Whitney has been serving as the Secretary of the board for LOVE, INC (Love In the Name of Christ) Lancaster, an organization that Grace Church supports through their Lititz Homes of Hope project, providing financial counseling and support for families on the verge of homelessness. LOVE INC is a national organization with chapters throughout the country.

Whitney’s comments:

I have made it a priority to serve on at least two boards at all times…I always like to have at least one that is faith based that I can use my business knowledge to help non profits that work to spread the Word of God. LOVE INC is neat in that as an organization we don’t directly serve clients, rather we connect willing volunteers in churches to needs in the community. This system allows us to be a part of hundreds of services each month with a staff of less than four FTEs (Full-time Employees). Furthermore the goal is to have the volunteers start a direct connection with clients they are assisting and develop a relationship outside of LOVE INC which allows for direct communication in the future. I’ve heard some pretty incredible stories in the past 18 months…”

In 2013, LOVE INC Lancaster met 5,430 practical needs of individuals in Lancaster County through 170 local congregations. These tasks included budget guidance, car repairs, cleaning, financial assistance, laundry, lawn care, meals, transportation, and more! LOVE INC also helps to coordinate community compassion projects (including the “Lititz Project” that has been featured recently on our blog).